Walking On Volume 4, Issue 8, August 2017 | Page 8
Industry Info
AHC Applauds Rep. Barr (R-KY),
House Lawmakers, for Passage of
Equine Therapy Amendment,
Increased Support for America’s Veterans
Prior to adjourning for the August
recess, the U.S. House of Represen-
tatives approved an amendment to
the “Make America Secure Appro-
priations Act” (H.R. 3219) offered by
Rep. Andy Barr (R-KY), a bill that
will increase equine therapy funding
for veterans by $5 million during
FY2018. In a statement released
Friday, July 28, Congressman Barr
expressed his pleasure over passage
of the defense spending legislation.
He stated that he is “particularly
pleased that the final bill … expands
the availability of evidence-based
equine treatment for veterans who
have suffered trauma while serving
our country.”
Before the equine therapy provi-
sion becomes law, House and Senate
lawmakers must convene a “confer-
ence” to negotiate final legislation
for a vote in both chambers, and
present the bill to the President for
his signature. Because the House
will not return to Washington until
September 5, Congress will not be
able to negotiate a final bill until the
fall. Following failure of healthcare
legislation last week, Senate Majority
Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) has
identified Federal Drug Adminis-
tration (FDA) funding, Department
of Defense (DOD) authorization
legislation, and federal appointments
as priorities for the next two weeks.
Congress must pass final spending
bills, or a continuing resolution, prior
to the end of the current fiscal year
on September 30.
To view a copy of Rep. Barr’s statement
related to the equine therapy amendment, please
see the following link: https://barr.house.gov/
media-center/press-releases/barr-votes-to-en-
hance-national-security. If you would like more
information about this bill or related issues in
Congress, please contact Bryan Brendle at bbren-
[email protected] or 202-296-4031
Congress Continues to Promote Land Access,
Gives Momentum to “Trails Act” Victory
On July 26, Sen. Ron Wyden
(D-OR) and Rep. Rob Bishop (R-
UT) introduced the “Recreation Not
Red-Tape Act (RNR)” (S. 1633, H.R.
3400), legislation that expands the
scope of the National Forest System
Trails Stewardship Act (PL 114-245),
signed into law in late 2016. While
the RNR focuses on streamlined
permitting to access public lands,
the bill includes provisions that
would authorize the Department of
the Interior, through the Bureau of
Land Management (BLM), to enter
into cooperative agreements with
private parties to promote the role of
volunteers in trail maintenance. The
bill also authorizes the Department
of Agriculture (USDA) and BLM to
develop an interagency trail manage-
8 • Walking On
ment plan that will assure uniform
maintenance standards for trails
crossing jurisdictional lines between
the two agencies.
The Trails Act outlines a detailed
program including goals and timeta-
bles by which the USDA will leverage
private partners to clear trails long
overdue for maintenance. Unlike
the RNR Act, which applies to both
the BLM and USDA’s National Forest
System (NFS), the Trails Act focuses
only on trails under the jurisdiction
of the NFS.
Chairman Bishop and Sen. Wyden
worked closely on the bill to empha-
size key issues – especially outdoor
recreation permit streamlining – that
will likely attract bipartisan support.
GOP staff with the House Natural
Resources Committee, which is the
committee of jurisdiction for federal
land issues, are encouraging AHC
and allies to help drive cosponsors
for the legislation, which currently
has none. Committee staff also state
that the Subcommittee on Federal
Lands will conduct a markup in late
September or October, giving mem-
bers the opportunity to offer techni-
cal corrections and amendments to
the text.
To review a summary of the legislation, please
see the following link: https://www.wyden.senate.
gov/download/?id=DDF411A6-5D21-40BD-
B17C-2BF73A2B9C51&download=1. If you
would like more information about the RNR
Act and related lobbying activity, please contact
Bryan Brendle at [email protected] or
202-296-4031.